Medium post: Words also require action

Photo by Ethan Elisara on UnsplashAdd caption

Have you found yourself saying things like “I’ll start the diet on Monday” or “I’ll start working out tomorrow” or “I’ll get on that next week”?

Congratulations, you are not alone.

That’s just one way of making ourselves feel better about not doing something. It tricks you into thinking you’re making progress when in reality nothing will really happen.

You might be thinking “well, I made plans to start next week, that got to count for something”. Not really, because next week you’ll just push it to the next and everything will continue the same. That is unless you decide to act on it.

The difference between motion and action.

During these past few months at home, I decided to start re-reading some of the books of my library. It sounded like a better plan than just watching TV shows and movies all day long — though I did that as well. Along the way, I picked up Atomic Habits by James Clear once again.

While explaining the 3rd Law of Habit-forming — make it easy — he gives the example of how sometimes we spend countless hours making the perfect plan to get something done. Be it the perfect workout routine to lose weight, the best way to learn a new language, and so on. And there’s nothing wrong with that really, but focusing on the best approach to get something done doesn’t get results, taking action does.

This is what he refers to as the difference between being in motion and taking action. While we are in motion, we plan and figure out the best way to get something done. But it’s only when you get into the doing part that you start making progress towards your end goal, that is action.

Purchasing a writing course, that’s motion. Actually writing and publishing a new article, that’s action.

Watching a training video, motion. Doing the workout, action.

“Dream big, start small, but most of all, start.” — Simon Sinek

It’s easy to see how we fall into a never-ending cycle of saying but never doing. What matters right now, is to realize that we are falling into the habit and look for ways to change that for the better. The sooner we get that out of the way the sooner we’ll start actually start moving forward in the right direction and, potentially, start making progress in our goals.

At the end of the day, words also require action. And is in the action part, that we find progress.